Soldier who charged at Ft. Hood gunman was shot 12 times before dying

Frederick Greene had bullet wounds "consistent" with him trying to charge Hasan

FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army soldier who died in the Fort Hood attack was shot 12 times as he charged Maj. Nidal Hasan, it was revealed Thursday during Hasan's court-martial.

Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn., was identified as the solider whose gunshot wounds were 'consistent' with him trying to charge Hasan, Dr. Phillip Berran, a pathologist, said. He reviewed photos of Greene's body for the judge before jurors were led into the courtroom.

Greene, who was married with two children, and was known as the 'Silent Soldier' around base because he was laid-back. He was active at Baker's Gap Baptist Church in his hometown while he was growing up, Glenn Arney, the church's former superintendent and a former co-worker, said shortly after the November 2009 shooting.

"I went to church with him, knew him all of his life. He was one of the finest boys you ever saw," Arney said.

Greene's family issued a statement shortly after his death that said, "Fred was a loved and loving son, husband and father, and often acted as the protector of his family. Even before joining the Army, he exemplified the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. Many of his fellow soldiers told us he was the quiet professional of the unit, never complaining about a job, and often volunteering when needed."

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Stars and Stripes reports that Greene was shot so many times, it was difficult to determine the path the bullets took, and the pathologist had to use a metal rod to determine the trajectory.

Berran said that he also performed an autopsy on Aaron Nemelka, 19, from West Jordan, Utah, who was the youngest soldier killed in the shooting and was apparently excited about his first deployment. Nemelka, was shot three times and that his wounds were consistent with being shot while lying on the ground.

Nemelka was among at least five victims who were shot while lying down, according to testimony from several pathologists this week. Among those victims was the lone civilian killed in the attack, physician's assistant Michael Grant Cahill, who witnesses said tried to charge Hasan during the shootings armed only with a chair.

A former colleague of Hasan testified about how he identified the wounded Army psychiatrist in the chaotic moments following the shooting, including the shooting of Hasan by police.

"I had no way to medically evaluate his condition," said retired Maj. Clifford Hopewell, who was chief of the traumatic brain injury division at Fort Hood. "I thought he was dead. He was prone on the ground and wasn't moving."

Hopewell said he thought he heard semiautomatic weapons fire, looked outside and heard screams and people running toward his building in the same complex where the gunfire broke out.

Hasan was lying on the ground near a telephone pole, he said, using a diagram while on the witness stand.

"A lot of people were on the ground in that area, but that's where he was," Hopewell said.

Asked by the prosecutor, Maj. Larry Downend, if the man he identified was in the courtroom, Hopewell replied, looking toward Hasan: "Yes. This person sitting right here."

“It's Nidal."

Hasan — who is acting as his own attorney — raised no objections and didn't question any of the witnesses Thursday, which has largely been his strategy since the trial began last week. The Army psychiatrist's lack of defense so far has allowed prosecutors to call more than 70 witnesses, indicating that the trial could wrap up far sooner than the months-long timeline originally announced by the judge.

The military defense attorneys who have been ordered to help Hasan during the trial have accused Hasan of trying to convince jurors to convict him and sentence him to death. Hasan has disputed those claims, calling them a twist of the facts.

But he recently authorized the release of a report that shows he told military mental health experts after the attack that he "would still be a martyr" if he were convicted and executed by the government. The report was released by Hasan's civil attorney to the New York Times, which posted it online, but prosecutors were ordered by the judge not to read it.

Hasan is accused of opening fire on unarmed soldiers. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

After a frenetic four days in which more than 60 people testified, the pace has slowed as prosecutors have called investigators and experts to describe how Hasan carried out the shooting.